


Late Nights, Long Walks

by Gingervivi



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, I tagged the ship in this but it's not really the focus of it, but i tagged it because it's kinda important to the story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-17
Updated: 2016-08-17
Packaged: 2018-08-09 07:31:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7792393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gingervivi/pseuds/Gingervivi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rona finds herself struggling with the responsibility placed on her shoulders and receives a little bit of unwanted help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Late Nights, Long Walks

**Author's Note:**

> I had this idea in my head for a while but never found the time to write it. I didn't mention it in the story as I couldn't figure out how to put it exactly, but Rona had thoughts in the back of her head of being trapped in the Inquisition. That even if she wanted to leave, she couldn't. She couldn't explore without her companions, she was constantly surrounded by the Inquisition's own guards with rarely an actual moment to herself. Sometimes it's harder to make a decision when it seems it's been made for you already.

When would it end, this Inquisition?

It was the never ending thought in the back of Rona’s mind. When she walked, when she fought, when she talked, and now when she laid awake through the night. How drawn out would the fight be against Corypheus? Would it ever end? Could the Inquisition ever truly lay down its sword? No, not just her relinquishing power, but the might of the organization itself knowing that it’s duty has been fulfilled and that the need for them was no more. 

She felt too hopeful of that idea, like it was a wish destined to betray her.

Maybe it was just resting in the Emerald Graves that had her so on edge. This forest was a gravesite, meant not to be disturbed, but instead battle of the war continued to wage through it. One battle after the next, this places has seen. Perhaps it was just as hopeful as it was foolish to wish that this battle would be its last.

Rona pulled herself up from her roll, tangles of brown hair cluttering her the dim view the lights outside the tent provided. She felt naked and exposed in the tent, despite the clothes she wore and the guards that surrounded the campsite. Everywhere but Skyhold was a place where she fought. The cities, the plains, the castles; every place she seemed to step foot in was filled with danger. Being anywhere, doing anything away from Skyhold made her crave her armor and her sleep was no different.

She tugged at the sleeves of the warm tunic to cover her hands and pulled on a cloak and scarf before she left her tent.

“Evenin’, my lady,” one of the guards said, taking a brief bow before meeting her eyes. “Are you… going somewhere?”

“Just a walk,” Rona told him. 

“Want me to accompany you? Wake one of your companions?” he offered. She smiled, thankful at the thought of her safety. A year ago, she would’ve laughed in the face of anyone who said a shem would be worried for her life. “I don’t recommend walking defenseless out here at night.”

Rona held up a hand, wishing for her gloves in the chilled night air, and cast a flame at her fingertips. It warmed her as much as touching the skin of another did. The light flickered towards the guard as a gust of wind passed by. “I’m never defenseless.”

“Y-yes, my lady,” he resigned himself to say, backing away a step as she passed him.

The walk itself was enjoyable, though it wasn’t what she focused on. Her mind led itself to other subjects while her body seemed to move without her input. The longer she thought of the Inquisition’s future, the further she dove into the rabbit’s hole until she landed at the greatest question of them all: what would become of her? 

She wanted the Inquisition disbanded more than anything. Nothing good would come from a power in the world that no longer had a purpose, but she couldn’t just abandon it if it was unwilling to disarm and disband, could she? Though the act of starting and raising the Inquisition was not done solely by her, she was the Inquisitor and she had the responsibility of seeing it through to the end, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t that desire to just leave and pass everything on to someone else. The idea of her not responsible for the fate of the world was a nice one.

Perhaps a walk was a bad idea. She was no more calm than she had been lying about in her bedroll. The only change so far had been the change in her scenery. She turned back to look at the camp, barely the size of her fist from her perspective. Just how lost in thought had she been?

Despite the distance, she continued to walk until her bare feet felt tired and sore and forced her to take a seat. Rona stared up at the stars through a break in the canopy and tried to focus on the sky rather than her thoughts. She tried to recall the names of constellations, the different names for the stars that were taught to her by her Keeper. It was all she could do not to get sucked into old memories of her clan. There were already too many thoughts on her mind to be homesick.

A light from the corner of her eye was the first thing to truly distract Rona. Out of habit, any light to catch her eye caused her to reach for her staff, expecting demons and spirits to burst through a rift. But she had no staff and the light was not a rift. She chided herself at the realization. Of course it wasn’t. She had just spent the whole day closing the rifts in their area.

It was just a bouncing ball of light, tinted a yellowish green like the rifts though that’s where the resemblance stopped. She sensed no malevolence from it, something more akin to a budding curiosity that she couldn’t decipher if it was hers or its own. Hands held at waist height, ready to cast a spell if needed, she approached the spirit – or at least what she assumed was one.

It stayed relatively still as she approached it, hovering in its place with slight variation. Against her better judgement, she reached forward and tried to touch it. Suddenly, the night’s chill was gone and the light flew away from her touch. The curiosity still not out of her system, she followed it. The light would move just fast enough that Rona didn’t think to rest, though it seemed to want to stay in her sight the way it’d pause before turning a corner or taking the slopes a little slower.

Only her physical condition gave away how much time had passed. The way her feet and back ached, the growling of her stomach, and the way her eyes tried to stay closed every time she blinked. The night had moved so gradually that she hadn’t taken notice of the sun until it warmed her back to an impossible degree. She pulled off her cloak and bundled it under her arms as she looked back. The Emerald Graves were now just a distant sight from where she stood. Had she really traveled that far?

She looked back to the light only to find it gone. Rona rubbed her eyes and moved on forward, trying to find it. She had no such luck. It couldn’t have been her imagination, but… she didn’t know what it was either. Judging by the height of the sun in the sky, she must’ve walked for half a day or nearly so. 

Everyone must be so worried, she realized with a flash of horror. Cassandra, Sera, and Dorian were still back at camp. The last person to see her was probably the guard that tried to stop her. Oh, she hoped he wouldn’t get in trouble. But this was her Inquisition; surely they wouldn’t punish him if she told them he was at no fault for this.

Then the thought hit her: Did she have to go back?

This was perhaps the first time she had been so far from anyone under the Inquisition’s banner. If ever there was a time to flee, to run away from this immense responsibility and damn the consequences, might this be her only chance? She looked down the path the light took her in. Who knew where’d she go; live on her own, find a clan to stay with, or spend her time closing rifts on her own with no formal backing. It was a path of freedom and loneliness. 

She turned towards the Emerald Graves and all her fears came crashing back into her, the same ones haunting her every moment without fail. Even with those fears, she had friends that supported her, friends who probably shared her same fears. She had Cullen, even if they spent far too much time apart due to duty. Creators, he made everything almost worth it. 

The lure of freedom pulled at her mind as she tried to turn back towards the forest and the question came crashing in to her: Would she really devote and give her life to helping and protecting others, even at the cost to herself? Perhaps that’s all it really came down to, details be damned. 

Yes, it absolutely was worth it. How did it not seem so obvious before? But as she tried to turn back, it felt like a physical strain to push her legs into carrying her. Putting one foot in front of the other felt as if she were walking through mud. They felt like they could give out from under her at any moment, but still she pushed herself to head back as far down the hill as she could. At least it was downhill.

It wasn’t long until her legs finally did give out on her, folding below her as she fell to the ground. Her throat was dry, her feet and toes practically numb at this point. She felt the sharp corners of rocks as she tumbled her way down, already knowing the kinds of bruises they’d form later. Part of her was relieved to think, _Great, now I don’t have to walk that distance._

Her descent slowed as she reached the foot of the hill, half of her face buried in the soft grass and her arms aching from holding on to her cloak for dear life. Just as she was about to muster the strength and willpower it would take to get her back on her two feet, the light appeared once more, bouncing inches away from her face.

“You’re a spirit,” she said, her words sounding as dry as paper. “Desire?”

The light moved away from her in a sudden jerk. _Probably didn’t like that suggestion,_ Rona thought. It didn’t do any real harm to her expect maybe making her a little suggestable, so she doubted it was a demon. What kind of spirit was it?

“Were you trying to give me a choice?” she asked it. It moved closer to her again. She’d take that as a yes. The longer she laid still, the more she wanted to stay there, so she tried to force herself at least into an upright position. “Please, I… I choose to stay. I can’t leave the world as it is.”

The light stayed still and for a moment Rona wondered if it’d abandon her now that she rejected it’s help. That must have been the case as the next thing it did was fade from her sight, leaving her on her own. 

“Guess I’ll have to do this myself,” Rona mumbled to herself. With great strain, she stood up once more and walked on. She only managed to make it to the outskirts of the forest when her legs refused to go on. Her hand hung on to the tree next to her in an attempt not to fall down, but it only ended up slowing her fall.

Her mouth was so dry and her muscles ached beyond belief. She couldn’t make it back to camp, not like this and not by herself. Maybe the Emerald Graves were a fitting resting place for her, being among her own. The last thing she last thought she had before her vision faded to black was how beautiful the world was before her. The way the light streamed in through the trees, the brilliant hues of the trees and flowers before her, and the way the air smelled sweet and crisp, making her feel as content as she had only felt in her dreams.

Waking was not pleasant. When she opened her eyes, the sight of bodies all around her made her first to be that she was surrounded. Calling up a spell would’ve been her first order of business if her entire body didn’t ached with every twitch of a muscle. She felt a hand touch her shoulder.

“Hey, rest. We’ve got you.” The world started to come into focus and saw Dorian kneeling at her side.

“Oh thank the Creators,” Rona whispered. Tears came to her eyes and she realized her mouth wasn’t as dry as it was before.

“We found you in a pretty sorry state, but, no worries, we’ve taken care of you,” he said, his mustache moving with his smile that almost hid his concerned eyes. “What in Thedas happened to you?”

Rona opened her mouth to explain when she had no idea _how_ to explain. “I don’t know.” It was about as close to the truth as she knew.

She watched as the guards around her parted to make way for Cassandra and Sera who took a place next to Dorian. Their eyes matched Dorian’s. 

“Whatever it was,” Dorian continued, “you’re in no state to stay here. We can see how well we can patch you up out here, but you might get the most out of the healers back at Skyhold.”

“I’m not looking forward to going back,” Sera stated, crossing her arms over her chest. “Not if I had to give a report to Cullen on how we lost his precious snugglebuns.” She made fake kissing noises and looked like she was trying too hard to seem annoyed at the situation.

Cassandra managed to laugh at it. “I suppose the guards will draw sticks again on who will deliver the bad news.”

“What, you can’t do it yourself? You could take him,” Dorian teased.

“Skyhold.” She held the word on her tongue as she closed her eyes, remembering the one place as close to home as she knew. When she opened her eyes, Rona looked straight up to the canopy to see the stars, finding the bouncing light from before dancing in the leaves.


End file.
